- The next parrot superstar:Alex and Snowball are established parrot celebrities, but the next big avian celebrity could be Arielle, the blue and gold macaw. Arielle's large vocabulary includes more than 4000 different expressions. She carries on conversations with herself, her human friend, Mike Dalton of Florida and imagined friends; and is one of a handful of birds who can communicate ideas through speech. Dalton formulated the idea of listening to her voluntarily spoken words as a new approach to interspecies communication. http://www.parrotspeech.com/

- Parrot superstar, too:Disco the budgie will be a special guest at the Long Island Parrot Society's Expo this September. Disco has become an Internet sensation with his own huge and pop culture laden vocabulary. The LIPS Expo is scheduled for the same weekend as Parrot Palooza this year. Decisions, decisions... aaaaargh.....

- Feathered factoids: When one bird preens another bird it's call allo-preening. -- Did you know In Gambia Africa, the pet name for parrots is chackoo?

- "Dr. Chris, Pet Vet" a syndicated tv import from Australia, recently featured Harry, an eclectus parrot with a severed plucking problem who also has a penchant for attacking his owner's husband. The doctor's verdict was that he loved his owner; saw her husband as a rival and took out his frustration by plucking. The doctor recommended prozac, which is controversial among some bird owners.

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New York born writer/photographer George Sommers lives in Quincy, Massachusetts with his Goffin's cockatoo and fish. His byline has appeared on local, national and international publications and online.